American Revolution Paintings - Second Series

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	The Declaration of Independence, 1818 by John Trumbull (1756—1843) Oil on canvas; 12' x 18' (144 in × 216 in). U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Washington, DC. The first of four paintings… » view »
	The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, 1820 by John Trumbull (1756—1843) Oil on canvas; 12' x 18' (144 in × 216 in). U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Washington, DC. Cornwallis surrendered on 19… » view »
	The Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga, 1821 by John Trumbull (1756—1843) Oil on canvas; 12' x 18' (144 in × 216 in). U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Washington, DC. » view »
	The Resignation of General Washington, 1824 by John Trumbull (1756—1843) Oil on canvas; 12' x 18' (144 in × 216 in). U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Washington, DC. Commemorates the moment when… » view »

Visitors to Monticello often wonder at its practical accessories. Jefferson labored a month to save a minute. His home was impractical from the start — by reason of its very site (on a mountain), by the height given the first version of the building (later disguised in a way that left useless spaces in and around its dome), by the perpetual course of its dismantling and reassembly. To make the house more convenient, he made his daughter and her children live for years in a chaos of artistic second thoughts, sometimes sheltered only by canvas as the roof rose, fell, and assumed new shapes in his mind.

— Garry Wills

Inventing America: Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence (1978)